Me: (dodges punches/tomatoes) Okay, so I have a valid excuse this time! Although I finished swimteam/driver's ed a while ago (I passed the driving test with flying colors, thanks very much :D), my dad is now fond of making me turn off the computer right when I get on a good writing spree. So, blame that.
Char: Also, she's had more ideas for her G.U. story idea than this, unfortunately.
Me: WHY DID YOU TELL THEM THAT YOU - (is sprayed by fire hose)

Disclaimer- I do not own Kingdom Hearts; Squeenixney does. I do, however, own Char, Anxclof, Falcon, Copperhead, the Shadowed Desert world, any minor OCs that come with SD, this iPod, and this sketchbook. Fwee... sketchbook.

Char's eye twitched a bit. "Uh, guys? What did you do to the Gummi ship?"

Looking on with an equal amount of surprise, Sora had to agree with her sentiment. They had just returned from their talk in the meadow-contained ruins to find Cid, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie working on the inside of the aforementioned vehicle. Clouds of smoke in the interior all but obscured what was going on. As always, Cloud was nowhere to be found, even though the evening was fairly late.

"You mean you guys didn't bother putting any furniture in it or anything?" Yuffie queried, bounding up to them and giving them an incredulous look.

"W-well, we didn't exactly have any time for that… Yen Sid kind of just gave it to us back at the tower…" Sora murmured, eyes wide. Currently, the group was in the process of dividing the ship into separate rooms – so he and the others wouldn't have to sleep on the floor every night, Sora guessed. As they watched, Cid dragged a small bed through the main navigation room, grumbling to himself all the while.

"We've been working on this all day," Leon said, as expressionless as ever as he joined the self-proclaimed "great ninja." He raised his eyebrows at Char and Sora. "Where were you two? We were going to show you how it was going."

"I know where they were…" Yuffie cut in, giggling as though she couldn't resist saying that.

Sora turned a shade of red that was thoroughly reminiscent of Char's hair at Yuffie's suggestive tone. "It wasn't… We weren't…"

"Are you serious?" Char interrupted, looking annoyed. She folded her arms across her chest. "We just talked, is all."

Sora glanced at her, not knowing whether to feel offended or relieved that she was backing him up. Thankfully, he was spared the decision when Aerith strode up.

"We're almost done with the renovations to your rooms," she informed Char and Sora. For some reason, the smile she gave Char, and the redhead's responding smirk and wink, made Sora a little suspicious.

Her smile fading to a more serious expression, Char nodded once. "That's good."

"And it looks like you're moving around a bit better on that leg," the healer went on, looking carefully at Char's injury. Aerith smiled at Sora. "At this rate, it'll only be a little while before you all can set off again."

"Oh boy!" Donald's squawk startled just about everyone except Leon and Aerith. Sora turned to see the duck in question ambling up to them with Goofy at his side.

"I'm glad we can keep goin' soon!" Goofy grinned widely.

"You and me both," Char murmured, rolling her eyes.

Sora supposed that he should feel the same happiness that the others were expressing – the concept of having to put his journey on hold had irked him before – but strangely, he felt a pang of disappointment. Immediately he felt ashamed at himself for feeling disappointed, but he thought he understood.

With the absence of her home around her, the walls that Char had so carefully crafted around herself would probably go back up again.

"Hey Sora, are you okay?" asked Goofy, tilting his head to the side in a way that made his long ears swing.

The boy smiled at his two animal friends. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"Then you should get some sleep," Char said before anyone else could open their mouths. He glanced at her, a bit surprised at the concern on her face. She shrugged a little self-consciously. "Well… you heard Aerith. It could be tomorrow, even, when I can walk normally again, right? So we should all be prepared."

"She's right," Leon muttered, looking slightly irritated – but only slightly.

At that moment, none other than Cloud appeared in the room. He looked on with a look of bored indifference on his blond-framed features, a look resembling Leon's own normal expression. Sora sighed inwardly. For two people who don't get along, they're sure a lot alike…

"And just where have you been?" Leon asked Cloud, dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. The way he spoke, it sounded more like he was demanding answers from the younger man.

Cloud simply gave him a look that seemed caught between "you don't want to know" and "none of your business." Abruptly, he turned to Char, whose composure cracked just a little at having his iron gaze focused on her.

"There's something for you in the Postern," he said.

Sora didn't recognize the word, and he let that confusion show by tilting his head to the side and frowning slightly. Char, however, apparently knew that term all too well, because her shoulders tensed visibly. She stepped up to Cloud, who stood just behind everyone else. "How do you know it was for me?" she asked after a moment.

"There was a note attached to it," Cloud answered smoothly. "Your name is Char, right?"

Ice-blue eyes narrowed, but then widened back to their normal size again, and Char sighed, pushing her bangs off of her forehead with one hand. "Alright; I'll check on it," she said, in a somewhat reluctant tone.

"But aren't you tired?" asked Yuffie, tilting her head to the side. "C'mon; you've been running around practically the whole day, when you're supposed to be in bed getting better!"

Char let out another sigh, this time with a huffier quality to it. "For the love of the gods, Yuffie, it's fine…"

"Get to bed," the ninja interrupted, putting her hands on her hips and glaring pointedly at Char.

"Okay, okay! Geez…" Char turned away and started down the small set of stairs that led into the marketplace. Sora couldn't hear what all she muttered under her breath, but he caught the words "what are you, my mom?" and had to keep back his snicker. Watching her walk away, Sora realized that Char had meant what she'd said about being okay; she hadn't just said it to get Yuffie off her back. For the most part, the dual wielder's tread was fairly smooth: not as confident as it used to be, and marred by a slight limp, but Merlin, Aerith, and Donald's healing spells had done wonders.

"And just what are you grinning about?" Cid growled, coming up to stand beside Leon and Yuffie.

"Er, no reason," Sora quickly amended.

He directed his next words to Cloud in an attempt to change the subject. "So, um, how's your search for that person going?"

Cloud's sapphire eyes mirrored Sora's own orbs as the two made eye contact, and the blond just shrugged one shoulder. "I still haven't found him."

"Maybe if you told us what he looks like, we could help you," Aerith suggested.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "I told you before, it's not something you want to get involved in."

"Oh, come on, Cloud!" Yuffie all but stomped one foot as she looked impatiently at him. Her words induced only a raised eyebrow from his end, but she continued nonetheless. "You've been pulling that big 'tough-guy' act for the past five days, and it's getting a little old."

"Let him alone." Surprisingly, the words came not from Char – who looked about ready to say it herself – but from Aerith. The flower girl gave a stern look that Char remembered from yesterday, when the two of them had talked. "I want to know myself… but everything comes in time, right?" Aerith went on. Her soft green eyes shifted to Cloud, who blinked at her – a little gratefully, Sora thought.

"Some things come in less time than others," Leon muttered, still eyeing Cloud with a look of barely distinctive agitation slightly wrinkling his features.

A yawn suddenly rent the air, and Sora realized it was coming from him. "Uh, guess I should be getting to sleep too," he said in response to the others' bemused glances. Sheepishly, he added, "It's been a long day."

And before Yuffie could tack any more innuendos onto his words, Sora had turned on his heel and set off in the same path Char had taken.

When he tentatively pushed the door to Merlin's house open – the stupid thing tended to creak whenever he opened it; it reminded Sora too much of the door to his room at Destiny Island – the brunette blinked to allow his eyes to get used to the still-limited amount of light. He sighed in disappointment when no telltale blue eyes greeted his vision, and stepped forward, carefully pulling the door closed.

Then the path of the door was stopped rather abruptly. Instinctively readying himself to summon his Keyblade, Sora glanced up through the narrow opening between the door and the wall, and, to his surprise, saw Cloud's taciturn face.

"Sorry, Cloud," the Keybearer quickly amended, and lifted his hand from the doorknob just long enough for Cloud to step sinuously into the room. The blond merely gave a small shrug to indicate that he accepted Sora's apology.

"I was just going off to bed," Sora explained, deciding to speak up only after a few moments of already-awkward silence. He pointed with his thumb off toward the hallway next to the computer screen; Cloud's slender eyebrows rose a bit, as though he hadn't known about the rooms' presence before.

"Can I stay here, just for the night?" he muttered at last, so softly that Sora could barely hear him. "I'm going to leave tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow? But you just got here!" Sora protested, more for the sake of protesting than actually meaning it. Clearly, Cloud had made his choice and no one was going to sway that. The brunette sighed as he realized how much his and Cloud's purposes paralleled: searching, always searching, it seemed; weaving in and out of people's lives for a greater reason.

"I think Merlin said there's an empty room down the hall." Sora hoped that he sounded less despondent than he felt – not necessarily about Cloud's coming departure, but at the whole situation in general. Not for the first time, he wondered if his journey would ever truly come to an end.

Cloud gave a single nod and started off in the direction Sora had indicated. As soon as the door closed behind the blond, Sora allowed another sigh to escape him. All I can do now is keep going.

The thought was one that had occurred to him so many times over the course of his last journey, even more so in the escalated action after rescuing Kairi and battling Riku in Hollow Bastion. All I can do…

Still, just thinking that didn't make things any easier – in fact, sometimes it just made matters worse when all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sleep for months. Again, Sora reminded himself that this time, things were different – that in addition to Donald and Goofy, whose loyalty toward him would last till the very end, he had Char by his side. A frown wrinkled Sora's forehead as he reflected how odd it was that, no matter how Char had seemed to abhor his presence before, she still protected him like they'd been lifelong friends.

However, for now, all he could do was shrug it off and walk down the hallway to his room. Plopping down in the bed, Sora didn't even bother pulling the covers back before falling asleep.

Across from Sora's room, Char's body twitched about from where the covers were sticking slightly to her currently gown-clad body, fingers opening and closing repeatedly from clenching so hard at the blankets. Ordinarily her nightmares never produced such an extreme reaction – and had she been watching herself, Char would have been embarrassed at what she was doing – but this nightmare differed drastically from the one that normally plagued her. This time, Ienzo and the others didn't prowl across her dreamscape and darken it with the reminiscence of their "deaths".

And those dreams certainly never felt as real as this one did.

Where the hell am I? Char hissed for perhaps the thousandth time. And for perhaps the thousandth time, she berated herself for saying the words, no matter how quietly. That was just the way dreams were, she supposed – one couldn't have thoughts in the form of simple ideas without voicing them.

Looking about her again with narrowed eyes, Char growled under her breath as she found the fog to be impenetrable yet again. If only I had my twin blades; I could probably hack this bloody fog to bits and then I could finally see what exactly is –

Char.

Despite herself, a gasp ripped itself from her at hearing the voice – achingly familiar, a voice she'd gone without hearing for a mere nine days.

Riku?

And then the mist cleared, however briefly, and before she had time to sigh in relief at being able to see she saw him. It was definitely Riku, no doubt about that; though the haunted glow in his turquoise eyes was exactly different from the happiness and friendship in them whenever he was with her. She realized as she took in his appearance, however gaunt it was, that he had taken his original form in this dream: the boy with the long silver hair and uncertain, determined green eyes she had met near Castle Oblivion. If feelings were tangible in this dream, she knew that happiness and relief would be roiling through her right now.

Happiness and relief that was replaced by confusion when Riku called out again.

Char.

What…? But when she took a step forward, Riku's shape immediately drew back into the mist again.

Come back, you idiot! Instinctively Char started at a run toward where he had once been, and abruptly realized how eerily quiet it was in this place when her footsteps echoed all too loudly against – what was this floor made of, marble? She shook off the nervousness that gripped her and increased her heartbeat, and focused instead on the thought of Riku.

Char. The redhead in question narrowed her eyes as his voice rang out again.

I'm right here… if you'd just stop moving, maybe I could get to you… (1)

But you don't really want to find me, do you? The words surprised Char enough to stop her in her tracks, a look of shock and horror on her face.

That's not it, emo boy! I can't find you at all!

If you wanted to find me, I would be right there in front of you…

Riku! What is the matter with you? Char shouted, her heart pounding more than ever now. Of course I want to find you; I want you here with me now!

You're lying… you stopped caring about me when you agreed to go with Sora.

Char didn't know why, but his words shook her to the core and seemed to echo inside her mind.

She shook her head, partly to clear it and partly to disagree. Predictably, she felt she only succeeded in the latter. Riku, I agreed to this stupid venture because of you.

You only want Sora now, and we both know it.

The words seemed to crowd in on her and push her to her knees. Char's heart now felt like it was going to burst through her chest and she shook her head frantically. That's not true… it's not true; it's not…

Perhaps that was when she jerked awake, panting and with her hair practically plastered to her back and forehead.

She took a few deep, shuddering breaths, lifting a trembling hand to push her bangs out of her eyes – she really should get those trimmed one of these days, she thought fleetingly – and closing her eyes in an attempt to calm the currently-demonic presence writhing in her chest. The redhead opened her eyes briefly and noted the shining golden orb just peeking over the horizon. As she squinted against the light of the rising sun, she sighed. Guess now is as good a time as any to get up…

A flicker of movement around the edges of her vision caught her eye, and she turned her head toward it, half-expecting Sora to be hovering at her bedside with wide sapphire eyes. She shivered despite herself at remembering how Riku had portrayed Sora in the dream – a spiteful person who had come just to steal Riku's friend away.

But her feelings about the nightmare were eclipsed by surprise when she saw who exactly stood there, when her gaze found pale blond hair instead of cinnamon brown.

For some odd reason, at first she thought it was Roxas who stood at her side; but then she took in the pure black coat and the fox-like badge along the chest and realized who exactly it was.

Cloud said nothing to indicate that he'd noticed her staring at him. How long has he been there?

Probably long enough, she answered herself, and her face flamed a little with embarrassment. Given the cold sweat the dream had put her in, the light blush was actually a welcome feeling.

Then Cloud got up and left the room.

After a moment of silence, Char figured she should probably follow. (2)

Twilight Town was too beautiful this morning.

From her position on her back against the green couch – still her designated sleeping area, even after what felt like so many uncomfortable nights, nights that really numbered about seven in all – Anxclof sat up, supporting herself with her elbows. Dark pupils offset by emerald watched today's scanty orange-gold of the twilight sky mingle with the majority white-gray clouds.

It had been this cloudy every day for the past week, in seeming promises of rain that turned out empty in the end. Hayner had at first complained at the possibility of rain, as that dampened any chances to go train for the festival – no pun intended, of course. It was fortunate then, Anxclof reflected, that the boy hadn't had any more of an excuse to flare up irrationally than normal. A grin tugged at her lips at the thought. In the past few days, it seemed like her only solace had become tagging along with Hayner and his friends in their various exploits. These often took the form of odd jobs to make money for train tickets, during which Anxclof felt sincerely glad that they never took the tunnels, as they reminded her all too well of her encounter with Axel; making a scene at restaurants; or helping the producer of the Struggle tournaments set things up for the festival.

Anxclof couldn't hold back a sigh at the thought of the festival, more at the realization that it took place today. Time did fly when one was torn between misery and doubt, she thought dryly.

Though… really, that wasn't the case, was it? Yes, her internal conflict over how she would be forced to leave in just a few days had weighed her down, in a burden that, it felt, just kept growing. Yes, she had been about ready to press her face into the couch's vanilla-scented cushions and suffocate herself after the encounter with Axel, a feeling intensified when Hayner, Pence, and Olette had gotten worried at seeing her freshly-cut arms and torso. Yet… somehow, she realized, things had steadily gotten better.

"It feels like… like seeing Roxas again," she murmured, eyes widening as the revelation hit her. It was pathetic, even for her. But then again, she supposed, that was just the way things were sometimes. She liked to think she saw little pieces of Roxas in everything she did here, and – at least for the moment – that was enough.

"Hey, Anxclof!" The familiar voice snapped her out of her reverie, jerked her up into a fully sitting position that made her head spin from the speed of it. Unconsciously her hand came up to her hair, running through the wavy strands in an attempt to untangle them. As she looked on, a head of wild, strawberry-blond hair greeted her through the mesh of the gate to the Usual Spot.

Hayner's excitement seemed to carry over from his voice to his countenance, as he was grinning breathlessly. Anxclof resisted the urge to roll her eyes and just grinned instead. Inside, she wondered how he could be so obvious at times and yet completely opaque at others.

"Somebody's a little overexcited," she remarked, and her smirk grew despite itself when Hayner came to a clumsy stop and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. A flash of blue drew her eyes down to the Struggle bat he held in his hand.

"Well, yeah."

She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, simultaneously leaning against the side of the couch and crossing her legs. "You do realize that the Struggle's not until, like, noon, right?"

Hayner blinked at her for a moment, then sighed and shook his head in mock rebuke. "Anx, you sure you have a sense of time at all in that head of yours?" he asked.

"Of course I do!"

The boy smirked in response, an answer that caused Anxclof's own to wane. "It's almost a quarter till, smart one."

Anxclof jolted in shock. Holy crap – I slept that long?! Inwardly, she smacked her forehead – if she stayed in Twilight Town for too much longer, surely she'd start to lose her inner sense of time.

"So c'mon, c'mon, let's go!" Hayner's smirk turned back into his former grin.

"Breathe, sparky," Anxclof laughed, pushing herself up and shoving his shoulder playfully. She knew she wouldn't feel uncomfortable with that, mostly because the sheer idea of Hayner having a crush on any girl – let alone one he'd only known for a scant week – felt so absurd.

Inadvertently, Roxas came into her mind again, causing her to curse her memories' horrible timing. She bit her lip and unconsciously her eyes found a very interesting point on the ground.

Fortunately, if Hayner noticed, he didn't let it show. He just shrugged. "C'mon – aren't you excited? Now I can actually win this time!"

"I take it the summer's Struggle didn't go well?" Anxclof hoped her voice wasn't shaking too much as she followed him to the Sandlot. When they entered, two small dots amid the swarm of people, she instinctively laced her fingers together behind her back for comfort. She'd had no clue that Twilight Town was this populated.

Hayner sighed, squeezing his way past a mob of what were clearly Setzer supporters – if the way they were screaming the man's name testified. "Nah," the boy answered. "I just let my guard down, is all… And the best part was that they had this great trophy…"

Abruptly he stopped, both verbally and physically, so that Anxclof practically hit his back. She leaned over to see around him with half-narrowed eyes, but as far as she could see, there was nothing that could pique his interest and hold it. Aside from the aforementioned trophy on the table next to the Sandlot itself, the orbs along its "arms" glittering in all their multicolor glory, she still couldn't find what had caught his attention.

"Uh… Hayner…?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "You feeling okay?" She didn't even bother trying to beat back the worry that was rising within her; at this point, she'd gone far beyond the throes of tolerance toward the people that had bound her best friend to this town.

Hayner sat there for another moment, his dark eyes screwed up into a squint; but just as soon as the feeling had come, it was gone, and now he was grinning at her again. "Yeah. Dunno what happened."

Anxclof snorted. "Liar," she muttered bluntly.

"Hayner! Anxclof!" called a familiar voice, causing both of them to turn. Pence and Olette were walking up, the former holding some of Twilight Town's infamous sea-salt ice cream by the sticks. Pence had spoken with his mouth full of the icy-blue treat, and the substance dripped onto the ground from its vantage point as the boy smiled. "Want some ice cream?"

Hayner, of course, heartily agreed and took one of the popsicle-like treats, causing Pence and Olette to smile – Pence enthusiastically, and Olette with her normal reserved air that suggested she was used to this. She glanced at Anxclof, still smiling slightly. "Do you want some before the tournament starts, Anxclof? We saved some for you guys."

Anxclof cringed despite herself; she didn't know how any of them could think of eating at a time like this. "Er, no, that's okay," she said.

"But you just got up – aren't you hungry?" Hayner asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

Anxclof raised an eyebrow at him. "Ice cream for breakfast, anyone?" (3)

Hayner looked a little put-out at that and turned away, muttering something about having already had breakfast before now – like that was any excuse.

"Anyway, I'll be fine – I'm just a little nervous," the Nobody continued, to the trio's bemused looks. Contrary to what Hayner, Pence, and Olette seemed to believe, Anxclof wasn't entirely lying. She could feel the unmistakable, smoky aura of lesser Nobodies wreathing around the area and tried to convince herself that they were probably just lurking around in the tunnels. Yet again, I'm starting to doubt the reality of this town…

And yet again, she chided herself for thinking that – this was the real Twilight Town; the Organization just couldn't resist interfering. Thanks to Axel, they probably knew all too well that she was here. At the thought, Anxclof's hand clenched into a tight fist that, had she not been wearing gloves, would have pressed little white half-moons into her palm.

She opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, a bell chimed, changing everyone's attention to the producer of the Struggle tournament. The man stood at the edge of the sandlot and smiled widely for all to see as he announced, "Welcome, one and all, to the beginning of the Twilight Festival!"

This was greeted with thunderous cheering and applause that made Anxclof wince slightly. She hated crowds, and this was exactly why.

"As everyone knows," the dark-haired man went on, "this festival begins first with the intense, mettle-testing, heart-pounding Struggle tournament! Some of you who didn't do so well during the summer's round may find yourself climbing the ranks to fight our reigning champion, Setzer!"

Predictably, almost on-cue the rabid fans the group had seen earlier squealed the champion's name. Anxclof frowned at them and then followed the crowd's gaze. The aforementioned man waved nonchalantly to the crowd, the light breeze tugging at his long silver tresses and purple garb.

"They always do that," Olette sighed, referring to the fan-girls.

"I love how you never notice any guys cheering for him," Hayner muttered. Both girls stifled giggles at that.

"Now, everyone, get ready to –"

"STRUGGLE!" everyone screamed in response.

The platform that served as the "battlefield" was readied, and the producer continued speaking. His microphone was the only thing that kept him audible above the audience as he went on, "You all know the rules for ordinary Struggles, but the Twilight Festival's Struggles have a tiny little difference. In this competition, the participants still battle it out to see who's better. However, in the festival, whoever is still going when the timer finishes is the victor!"

"So basically, beat the crap out of each other?" Anxclof murmured to Hayner out of the corner of her mouth.

Hayner laughed under his breath. "Yeah, pretty much."

"This year, we have our two favorite rivals competing for the prize! Hayner, an underground favorite and local attitude problem!" Hayner grinned and waved at the applauding, cheering crowd. "And the one who bested him last time around, the head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee – Seifer!" Seifer's mention heralded notably more pleasure from the citizens than the first name, causing Hayner to frown slightly.

Anxclof started. "Seifer's competing…?" She knew it was a stupid question even as it escaped her mouth; that was obviously the reason Seifer had come to the Sandlot that day. Insulting her and Hayner had just been a bonus, she reflected dryly.

The blond in question was already striding up, smirking as he reached the edge of the platform. "So, chickenwuss," he purred at Hayner, whose face promptly shifted into a glare full of anathema for Seifer, "are you and your girlfriend competing, or am I gonna have to kick your ass like I did in the summer?" He gave a mock yawn. "It was so boring. I think that if it's the same this time around, I might just fall asleep."

"I believe the ass-kicking on your part will be in short supply today," Anxclof retorted through clenched teeth.

Seifer raised his eyebrows, causing the scar over his eye to stretch a bit. "So look who it is. This ought to make things a little interesting."

"Where're your flunkies?" Anxclof commented, scanning the area around him. "I didn't think you'd be so bold without them."

"We also have a newcomer to the tournament!" The three of them nearly jumped in surprise; in their exchange, they hadn't noticed that the producer was still going on. "Hayner has informed me that another catalyst is going to be thrown into the tournament, making things decidedly unpredictable for our other three participants!"

"There are only four of us?" Anxclof couldn't hold back her surprise, annoyed as she was due to Seifer's abrasive words.

Olette shrugged. "Well, they had the prelims a little while before you came."

Anxclof gave a nod of understanding. At the same time, though, she couldn't help but think that perhaps, in the virtual Twilight Town, Roxas had swept the Struggle tournament. It wouldn't surprise her; in the Organization, they had always been a bit competitive. Her anger rose within, bubbling dangerously close to the surface, as she remembered one such time where competition had nearly pushed her to leave the World That Never Was entirely.

"So, please welcome our new entry – Anxclof!" The man swept a hand toward the Nobody in question, effectively cutting off her chance to reminisce. Everyone glanced over, and Anxclof shivered a bit at the unwanted attention. Nevertheless, thinking quickly, she gave a hesitant smile and a quick little wave; at that, everyone began clapping, if in a more polite, controlled way than they had for Hayner and Seifer. Her fierce nature seemed to frown at not immediately being supported.

"Wait, so who's the other contestant?" Anxclof queried to Hayner.

The blond shrugged helplessly. "Dunno. In the summer, Rai and Fuu entered, too…"

"But this time they're not," Seifer cut in. Hayner and Anxclof narrowed their eyes at him as the arrogant teen jerked a thumb over to a section across the platform from where they stood. "We're gonna go get some ice cream, after I win the tournament."

"So, you want all the glory for yourself, huh?" Anxclof's breath huffed out in a sigh. "Figures." Under her breath, she added, "Arrogant bastard."

"Mind speaking up, chickie? I couldn't quite hear you over the crowd." Seifer cupped a hand around his ear and smirked at her.

One eyebrow slowly went up on Anxclof's forehead. "My name is Anxclof." Chickie? (4)

But he just ignored her and glanced at Hayner. "Well, have fun getting your ass handed to you again, chickenwuss." Without another word, he sauntered off, still with that infernal look on his face.

"For our first match," the announcer blared, "we have Hayner, the seasoned contestant, versus Anxclof, the newbie Struggler!"

As the two of them stepped out into the sandlot to thunderous roars of anticipation from the citizens, Anxclof felt her breathing quicken and her heartbeat accelerate in excitement. Despite her initial nervousness at performing in front of so many spectators, the urge to exercise her fighting muscles was threatening to take over. She reminded herself that she couldn't exactly summon her jagged golden Keyblade and give it her all like she normally would.

Nonetheless, a grin wove itself across her features as the producer handed the blue, foamy Struggle bats to the two contestants. "So, remind me again how this works?" she remarked to Hayner, just for the benefit of the producer and audience.

Hayner just shook his head and rolled his eyes, not without an equally enthusiastic grin on his face. "May the best Struggler win," he joked.

Anxclof laughed. "Don't worry. She plans to."

"Just look at those sparks fly!" the producer cried. "Ready… Struggle!"

Instantly Anxclof rushed in and delivered a flurry of attacks to Hayner's side. The boy stumbled back a bit, but retaliated almost instantly with a downward swipe to Anxclof's belly, effectively pushing her back.

"That was a dirty trick," she grunted, only half-jokingly. Damn, I'm really rusty…

This went on for a while, Hayner staying on the offensive and Anxclof feinting around his blows, until Hayner had nearly backed her into the corner. The audience was going wild, leaping up and cheering at the top of their lungs, while the producer was forced to raise his voice to say that there were only fifteen seconds left.

I… am so… rusty! Anxclof mentally cursed herself, the crowd, and Hayner to the depths of hell as she rolled away from another of Hayner's strikes. So far, she had barely managed to land any blows on him at all, and now with only ten seconds remaining on the timer she sure as hell wasn't going to win this –

But that wasn't the plan in the first place, was it? I didn't want to win the Struggle… I just needed a cheap way to exercise my fighting skills and get some entertainment before I had to get back on the road… The thought of Roxas flashed through her mind – the soft smile on his face when he and Axel had first approached her, back when she joined the Organization; the serious frown he attained and the way he tapped his chin while he was contemplating something; the way he'd held her when she'd brought him back; the feeling of his hand against her face. His kiss had tasted of sea-salt ice cream and a faint dash of creamy vanilla. (5)

And just like that, Anxclof's barrier broke, and the tears began flowing freely down her cheeks, tears she had been suppressing for what felt like so long.

She wanted to cry even harder at that realization. Finally.

Her vision blurred only slightly as she found the strength to lash out hard with her Struggle club from where she currently knelt on the ground. Hayner stumbled back, and in the same moment that he righted himself, Anxclof's bat was a pale, sea-salt ice cream-blue blur as she attacked furiously, eventually pushing him so that he was on his back.

At that moment, a bell rang, ripping Anxclof out of her half-stupor. She glanced around, almost dazed, as the producer shouted, "I… I don't really know what just happened, but… Either way, Anxclof is the winner!" This was greeted with hasty, somewhat stumbling applause from the spectators.

"Hey." Anxclof flinched, half-expecting Hayner's temper to rise after what she had just done. But she was shocked to find that, when she had pivoted to face him and her eyes met his, only a small amount of aggression was visible on his features. For the most part, he looked… concerned.

She started a bit at that, and unconsciously, her hand rose up to her cheeks, her fingers brushing lightly across her face. When she lowered her hand, she could feel clear wetness slightly soaking the fabric of her glove. For some reason, that pained her more than her come-from-behind victory.

Her head jerked back up to look at Hayner, but he was already stepping out of the sandlot, grinning and shrugging at the audience, as if to say "well, you win some and you lose some". After a moment, Anxclof realized that she should do the same, a realization that was enforced when the producer put a hand on her shoulder and told her gently that the next match had to start.

With the rational part of her mind she recognized the fact that next she'd probably have to face Seifer or the still-anonymous fourth contestant, depending on how the next battle went. She understood that, could feel that fact under her skin, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to care much about it.

And that time when she had nearly said to hell with this and left the Organization rushed fresh into her mind again. Like many other times when she had been forced to face the possibility of quitting entirely, it involved Roxas.

When she'd awoken that morning, Anxclof had anticipated yet another day full of exhaustion and even more failed attempts to summon her lesser Nobodies. She couldn't hold back a sigh as she descended the marble staircase of the Twilight's View into the upper part of the Hall of Empty Melodies, where the training was usually held. Already she could hear the sounds of metal clashing against metal and grunts of the Organization members training inside.

As always, she entered without knocking and had to blink for her eyes to get used to the sudden comparative darkness. That's the problem with this castle, she thought, too much white. A blur of crimson caught her eye and she saw Axel… who as always was coming right at her with his chakrams raised.

"'Morning, Anx," he greeted with a wolfish grin, a grin that widened when she barely managed to get up her Keyblade to block his attack in time.

"Che, wish I could say the same for you," Anxclof grunted. She pushed her blade forward to push Axel's chakrams away, and, in the process, knocking him backward.

"Ah, c'mon, you know this is just what wakes you up." Axel spun his chakrams around on a finger of each hand as he smirked at her.

Anxclof just rolled her eyes and suddenly tilted her head, eyes scanning the surroundings. "Where's Roxas?" she queried at last, her voice softer than before.

Axel shrugged one shoulder. "He's up there," the redhead answered, nodding with his head toward the upper part of the Hall of Empty Melodies. Sure enough, when the female Nobody angled her head and squinted her eyes just right, she caught a glimpse of honey-blond hair, the spiked back of which was turned toward them. A small noise of disappointment escaped her when she saw that.

"Aw, is Anxy wishing Roxas were here?" Axel teased.

Anxclof huffed out an irritated sigh as she transferred her gaze to the redhead and narrowed her eyes. "Axel, shut the hell up."

"Well, you know you do!" Axel spun his chakrams around again, this time accompanying it with a burst of yellow-orange flame. Before Anxclof could scoff and call him a showoff, he continued in a conspiratorial stage whisper. "The Superior himself wanted to see him."

The girl blinked. Despite herself, her curiosity was piqued.

And then the first part of his statement seemed to sink in.

"Axel, shut up!"

The ferocity of her words, snarled out in a volume just quiet enough for the two of them to hear, seemed to cause her to summon her Keyblade in a flash of golden light and charge at him. Axel threw back his head and laughed, commenting "Now that's what I'm talking about!" as he lifted up one of his chakrams just in time to block her assault. It failed to dissuade her, however, and almost the instant she pulled her sword away, the curved blade was upon him again, practically slammed down in the direction of his head. Axel managed to get up one chakram to block her and lashed out with the other one, this time adding a weak little burst of fire – not strong enough to actually hurt her, but hot enough to cause discomfort. Watching her wince visibly and leap back, he grinned again. "Still waiting for an opening, Anx?"

She simply narrowed her emerald eyes in response. Suddenly, without warning, she leaped forward with her Keyblade at the ready; but, to her growing anger, he immediately, it seemed, threw her off again. In a matter of seconds he had her on her back with one of his chakrams at her throat.

"I win," he whispered obviously.

To her humiliation, Anxclof couldn't manage anything more than a frustrated snarl.

"You're still favoring your right side, Number XIV." A deep voice caused them both to glance over. Xemnas was striding over to them, his gait slow and unaffected as always, followed closely by Saïx. The Luna Diviner's expression held almost no signs of emotions; he was one of the members that took this "no heart" thing way too seriously, Anxclof thought. And, to her relief, behind them all walked Roxas. He was staring at the ground with what Anxclof assumed was thoughtfulness, but when he looked up and saw his two best friends, his mouth formed into one of his rare smiles.

"You've also only been training with Axel and Roxas lately," Saïx remarked, his golden gaze sweeping stoically over the redhead. Axel, who still had Anxclof pinned, gave a snarky grin and lifted two fingers in a mock salute to his seniors. Saïx simply rolled his eyes, while Xemnas simply arched a slender gray brow over one of his own orange orbs.

"So, what's your point?" Anxclof growled just as Roxas began to open his mouth. She flicked her eyes pointedly in Roxas' direction before returning her gaze to Xemnas and Saïx. While she cared deeply for the Key of Destiny, sometimes she didn't appreciate how he tried to fight her battles for her. "They're my friends, and they don't try to kill me!" She directed these last words loudly, hoping a certain Freeshooter heard her loud and clear, and was rewarded with a raucous laugh from Xigbar's direction.

Xemnas sighed, almost as though he were speaking to a small child. "That is precisely the point, Number XIV. When you are exposed too often to a certain style of battling, you become used only to that style; therefore, it is vital that you spar with the many other possible partners."

"'Many'?" Axel snorted as he let Anxclof up. "What, you mean the ones that are left after Sora massacred most of us in Castle Oblivion?"

Now standing next to Axel, Anxclof directed her glare at the ground; she thought that if she watched her two superiors any longer, she just might either vomit or lash out with her Keyblade – most likely both.

"It is not your place to speak, Axel." Anxclof didn't look up, but she knew that it was Saïx speaking; being only number VII, the blue-haired man didn't exactly have the right to refer to them by their numbers, especially not Axel, who was only a number behind him.

Xemnas acted as though the Flurry of Dancing Flames had not spoken, and instead focused on Anxclof. "Number VII and I were just addressing Number XIII on this issue. Ever since you came along, he has had trouble with his sparring."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Anxclof let out a harsh laugh, jerking her head up to stare right into Xemnas' eyes. The Superior was unperturbed, though Saïx did blink once in astonishment. "I'm terribly sorry for messing him up. Or, wait, is that even the correct term for it?"

"Anxclof…" Roxas spoke for the first time, and his tone carried a hint of warning.

Anxclof ignored him and pushed on. "So, just because I've been here a little over two months and still haven't met your standards, it must automatically be because of that?"

"I said nothing for you to assume that," Xemnas pointed out calmly, much to Anxclof's already-growing temper. She could feel anger bubbling all too close to the surface, and had to remind herself to stay calm.

"I was merely pointing out that since your arrival, Number XIII has been more distracted. He has had more trouble summoning his Samurais, and gets distracted easily in the training sessions."

"And while you yourself, Anxclof, have all but mastered your own weapon, you have not learned to summon your own lesser Nobodies." Saïx spoke calmly, but she could sense his own temper straining to push past the façade of passiveness.

Anxclof narrowed her eyes. "So, now Roxas isn't meeting your standards? What are your 'standards', anyway? Master your weapon, summon your Nobodies, okay, that's it, you're done. Oh, but if you screw up even slightly in that regard, we're gonna just blame it on your friends! How the hell can you condone that?" she hissed, clenching both her fists and her teeth. She was sure that her grip on her Keyblade had grown white-knuckled.

"Wasn't it you who told me when I first got here, 'We may not have hearts, but we remember what it's like'? Well, obviously you don't, because I have friends. Remember that? Friends?"

Xemnas looked like he was about to say something, but Anxclof cut him off by moving toward him and pushing deliberately against his shoulder as she passed.

She turned only her head to look at him, and he in response just moved his eyes to meet hers. Her emerald orbs were blazing with anger. Behind them, Saïx looked ready to draw his claymore, his face darkening, and Roxas' eyes were wide.

"Let me know when you change your mind," Anxclof spoke in a low voice. She heard Axel let out a long, hissing exhalation, but ignored it and left the Hall of Empty Melodies angrier than ever.

That night – or at least she assumed it was night through her internal clock; it was always stormy here anyway – she sat at Luxord's designated section of the World That Never Was, an area that one could easily get to by going through Number X's door in the Proof of Existence. She dangled her feet off the edge of the precipice, not daring to make the same mistake of looking down as she had when she'd first arrived here, and sighed, propping her elbows up on her knees and putting her head in her hands. Xemnas and Saïx's words wouldn't get out of her head.

You've only been training with Axel and Roxas lately… Since your arrival, Number XIII has been more distracted… you have not learned to summon your lesser Nobodies…

Despite herself, an irritated growl escaped her and she drew her knees further up against her chest. It occurred to her how stupid that was – practically readying herself to fall off the edge – but she brushed it off. Inside her were warring two emotions: anger and frustration at the whole situation, and delight at the fact that she was distracting Roxas. Instinctively she ducked her head to hide her blush, a gesture that had become so familiar after trying to hide it from the other Organization members.

And as if summoned, a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Somehow I knew you'd be up here."

Anxclof jolted in surprise, straightening up and widening her eyes; but she didn't turn around. Her superiors' words went through her mind again and her shoulders slumped.

"Roxas… just go away."

Only when she felt him sit down next to her did she realize how close they were. Fighting the urge to scoot away, she uncurled slightly so that her legs were crossed. She was all too aware that their knees were practically touching, and unconsciously spoke to break the silence.

"I'm sorry…"

She damn near clapped her hand over her mouth. Why the hell was she apologizing? Why was she… apologizing?

Apparently Roxas was thinking the same thing, because he had a bemused look on his pale face. His slicked spikes swayed just a little as he tilted his head to the side.

Then his shoulders slumped in a sigh, and Anxclof felt the heat inside roar to life as he moved so his shoulder was touching hers.

"They're angry at me," he murmured.

Anxclof blinked. She hadn't known what to expect as a response to her words, but it sure as hell wasn't that.

She didn't need to ask who they were and why they were angry at him, though.

They sat together in a few moments of uncomfortable silence – at least on Anxclof's part; when she glanced over, Roxas' face was all but blank as he stared out at Kingdom Hearts. Suddenly needing something to fill the silence, she spoke again.

"I'm so sick of this."

The words seemed to reverberate inside her head and felt like they were echoing in the air. Abruptly she got to her feet, leaving Roxas on the ground staring at her. She turned away, feeling his gaze on her back as she narrowed her eyes at the heart-shaped moon above.

"I hate having to be subjected to what they want us to do," she spat. "I hate not being allowed to feel, just because we're not 'supposed' to. I hate getting reprimanded for having friends."

She heard the familiar sound of leather shifting against marble as Roxas apparently got up. However, she didn't catch sight of his blond hair out of the corner of her eye, so she assumed that he was just standing behind her.

"I just… I'm tired," she confessed.

Roxas had been silent for a while, just listening, but now he spoke.

"Anxclof, why are you crying?"

Her eyes widened just a bit in surprise. Sure enough, she hadn't realized it until she'd heard the hitch in her breath, felt the warmth of the tears slipping down her face, seen the reflection of the shining trails on her face in the marble. She stared at her doppelganger for a moment, then shook her head.

"I might just up and leave," she chuckled, shaking her head again. "You know? I might go and find my Other already. It's long past time anyway – three years too late."

She'd been "born" three years ago.

"So, what makes you think you're going to leave without me?" This time a trace of anger lay in Roxas' voice, and not the teasing kind that he usually gave her.

Anxclof gave a small start and whirled to face him. "Roxas, that's not what I –"

He hugged her.

It wasn't really a hug so much as he grabbed her shoulders and practically mashed her against his chest. Anxclof reflected fleetingly that clearly, Roxas' Other had not had much experience in this area, but that was about all she could think. Her mind had basically shut down at this point anyway, and she could gradually feel her cheeks – hell, her entire body, traitorous thing – heating. (6)

It occurred to her that she should probably hug him back – though truly, it was out of something else rather than the sense of duty that made her do so. She awkwardly brought her arms to wrap around his neck, and in response, he tightened his own embrace. And she felt certain by now that he could feel her body flushing against his, and oddly, she didn't even give a damn.

For that, and everything else, she let herself go and put her head on his shoulder and cried.

Back to the present, Anxclof stifled a sob and shook her head to clear it. She caught sight of Olette giving her a worried look from the other side of the platform and had to fight the newborn urge to cry.

"Anxclof goes on to the finals!" the announcer blared, and the brunette in question stared dully out at the sandlot, not really watching anything in particular.

"Next, we have Seifer against a mystery contestant! Who is this stranger, and how did he come so far in the bracket so quickly? We'll just have to find out and see!"

Seifer smirked and winked his non-scarred eye, causing many of the Setzer fan-girls-turned-traitors to swoon. The Struggle champion in question frowned slightly at that.

Anxclof had only a moment to wonder briefly who the unnamed Struggler was before the man in question stepped onto the sandlot. And while the hairstyle differed drastically from the one she knew – vivid locks held in a loose ponytail instead of down – she would recognize those tear-marks on his cheeks and the arrogant green eyes anywhere.

"Axel?!"

Dun dun DUN!

(1) THE RETURN OF TEH AUTHORZ NOTEZ BWAHAHAHA! Ahem, anyways... If anyone knows the origin of the first part of Char's words - actually, screw the cookies; I know SOMEONE knows it. xD

(2) Don't ask me why CLOUD was the one who came instead of Sora. I thought maybe... she and Cloud could use a little "interaction." (IT IS SO NOT BECAUSE I SHIP THEM A LITTLE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT -shot-)

(3) SEE EVERYONE? ANXCLOF HAS TAKEN HEALTH CLASS, SHE KNOWS THE DANGERS OF ALL THAT SEA SALT ICE CREAM. (-wink wink nudge nudge Squeenixney-)

(4) xD This is also a slight reference to when Kanda dubs Allen "bean sprout" in D.Gray-Man.

(5) Because I realize that I did next to no elaboration on that kiss scene. LOLOL I FAIL.

(6) Because not enough teenagers suck at hugging/kissing in fandom.